The Balvenie launches 17 year old DoubleWood

Press Release

The Balvenie’s family of single malt Scotch whiskies has grown with the arrival of The Balvenie DoubleWood, Aged 17 Years – a significant new addition to the range from Scotland’s longest-serving Malt Master, David Stewart, which will be available in South Africa for the first time from June 2014.

The DoubleWood 17 Year Old is an elder sibling to DoubleWood 12 Year Old, The Balvenie’s most popular expression. The new aged version shares the same DNA and the honeyed, spicy characteristics as the 12 Year Old, but it is distinctly different, with deeper vanilla notes, hints of green apple, creamy toffee and a striking richness and complexity.

“The “cask finishing” technique is at the heart of The Balvenie DoubleWood – it sees the whisky matured first in American oak barrels, which impart soft sweet vanilla notes, before being transferred to European oak sherry casks. The second cask ageing adds a depth and fullness of flavour. We are very excited to be introducing the rich, spicy flavours of the 17 Year Old Doublewood to the South African consumers,” adds Marketing Manager Lauren Kuhlmey.
The Balvenie 17 Year Old DoubleWood has an MRP of R1 399 and will be available in all leading liquor stores nationwide.

Tasting notes:The Balvenie DoubleWood 17 Year Old is an expertly proportioned single malt with distinctive rich vanilla oak, with honey and layers of sweet spices. On the nose, it is elegant and complex with oak, vanilla, honeyed sweetness and a hint of green apple. To taste, it is sweet with dried fruits, sherbet spice, toasted almonds and cinnamon, layered with a richness of creamy toffee notes and traces of oak and deep vanilla

The Balvenie Caribbean Cask aged 14 years launches in SA

Produced by William Grants & Sons Ltd

Press Release 
Single malt Scotch enthusiasts can now enjoy a sweet taste of sunnier climes with the news that The Balvenie Caribbean Cask, Aged 14 Years, is launching in South Africa from June 2014.

The Balvenie Caribbean Cask was created by The Balvenie Malt Master, David Stewart, who celebrated an incredible 50th anniversary at the distillery in 2012.  This single malt has had a 14-year maturation period in traditional oak whisky casks, before being transferred to casks that previously held Caribbean rum to finish aging.
“This expression is a beautifully rounded whisky that combines traditional Balvenie vanilla notes with rich toffee, a hint of fruit and a warm, lingering finish. We are very excited for The Balvenie Caribbean Cask to be launching in South Africa for the very first time!” adds Marketing Manager Lauren Kuhlmey.
The outstanding quality of The Balvenie is a result of the craftsmanship retained by The Balvenie Distillery. Nowhere else is there a distillery that still grows its own barley, malts in its own traditional floor malting, employs a team of coopers to tend its casks, a coppersmith to maintain its stills and has in its service the most experienced Malt Master in Scotland.
The Balvenie Caribbean Cask, Aged 14 Years, has an ABV of 43% and will be available in all leading liquor stores nationwide at an MRP of R799. 
Tasting Notes 
Nose: Rich, sweet and creamy toffee on the nose combines with fresh fruit notes
Taste: Rounded with vanilla and sweet oak notes, with a fruity character that develops with time time
Finish: Soft and lingering

The Real Oldest Distillery in Scotland - Strathisla

The Strathisla Distillery in Keith Scotland has the oldest uninterrupted* distilling history in Scotland beating out the second placed distillery by 28 years.

Every whisky book and whisky expert glibly states that Glenturret is the oldest distillery in Scotland. Glenturret make this claim on every label on every single bottle. Allow me to contradict this piece of misinformation.

I am unconvinced that a distillery which was established earlier then shut down for 40 years; then rebuilt on an new site may lay claim to such a title. Furthermore, if I then add up the total number of years this distillery has been operating from start to now, excluding the years it was not in operation, then it certainly does not add up anywhere near the oldest distillery in Scotland. The title as the oldest distillery in Scotland must go to Strathisla.

Strathisla Distillery built 1786

Glenturret was built in 1775. Strathisla distillery was built in 1786. Glenturret was built 11 years before Strathisla was built. No argument here. Glenturret closed down entirely early 1921, was dismantled; reopened June 1960 and produced filling malt before finally making a Glenturret single malt many years later. 

Now lets take away the 40 years the distillery was shut down. The maths is easy and you will then discover that Glenturret continues distilling history is 199 years versus Strathisla which has an uninterrupted distilling history of 227 years.

*uninterrupted other than during times of war which effected all distilleries.

A Singel Malt Whisky is also a Blend

What is a single malt whisky? In short: a Single Malt whisky is a single distillate from one single malt whisky distillery. Up to this stage there is certainly no blending.

In the longer version of the term Single Malt Whisky is understood to mean that the whisky was made using only barley as the raw material, that it was distilled in a copper pot still and that it was aged in oak casks for at least three years at a single distillery. Once we add the ageing process into the mix we get to the territory of blending. 

The blending usually occurs after ageing. The master distiller blends together different types of casks to match the single malt expression he is making. The Glenlivet 'Nadurra' 16 year old single malt uses ex-bourbon cask exclusively and therefore requires no blending. Glenfiddich 15 year old single malt is a combination of ex-sherry casks and ex bourbon casks. 

TO BE VERY CLEAR
It remains a single malt whisky even though we have blended from different cask. All the whisky still came from a single distillery. It is not a blended malt whisky which will contain malts from many distilleries. It is not a blended scotch whisky that contain many single malts and also contains grain whisky.

Balvenie Double Wood is a single malt whisky. It is blended using two types of oak casks. The first six years of this 12 year old single malt whisky is spent resting in ex-bourbon casks  before being transferred into ex-sherry casks for the final six years 6 years - hence 'Double Wood'. Many people asked me about this "double malt". LOL!

Most other single malt whisky distilleries age their single malt whiskies in one type of cask for the entire ageing period. It is only at the end of the ageing period that they blend together a combination of ex-sherry and ex-bourbon casks in proportion to the flavour they and style of their single malt.

The Glenlivet 12 year old is mostly ex-bourbon barrel, The Glenlivet 15 year is a higher combination of ex sherry cask versus ex-bourbon cask and includes malt that was aged in ex-cognac casks. The Glenlivet 18 years has an even higher ex-sherry cask content than the 12, 15 or 16 year old.

From the above you now also understand that an 18 year old whisky is not simply the same 12 year old whisky aged for another 6 years. It is a new expression that remains true to the entire range, but it is a different blend of casks. You will always know its a The Glenlivet no matter the age statement other than it being smoother.

Ralfy's whisky review 3 - Aberlour A'bunadh

Ralfy reviews my absolute favourite whisky in one of his earlier reviews. For further information about Ralfy, visit his website ralfy.com. I am pleased to find another person who speaks so highly about the Aberlour  Single Malt Range and each expression.



Besides Aberlour A'Bunadh, Aberlour is available as a 10 year old, 12 year old, 16 year old and the very special 18 year old. Each expression is more special the older it gets.

Visit the Aberlour website at www.aberlour.com or just click link here.

One of the reasons Aberlour is so great is the fact that Aberlour's practises "Double Casking".
The whisky is matured separately in specifically selected ex-bourbon barrels and ex-sherry butts. When it comes to age, the whiskies from the two sets of casks is brought together for the first time and the different flavours and textures are merged. From this process of double casking emerges a single malt of immense complexity and generous character. This is a revelation for the enthusiast: a wide spectrum of flavours are discovered after every sip.

The Glenlivet Single Malt

What's in a name?

The Glenlivet Single Malt whisky states that it is "the single malt whisky that started it all". There is one obvious fact why this claim is made. The Glenlivet is the first licensed distillery in Scotland. That is part of the answer. The Glenlivet is the first whisky to coin and use the term Single Malt whisky on it's label and the first to establish Speyside as a region.

Today The Glenlivet is universally recognized as the benchmark single malt against which all other malts are measured. Not only is The Glenlivet made in the Speyside region which is the 'champagne' producing region for whisky in Scotland, but the distillery is in the heart of Speyside.

Today The Glenlivet is America's leading Single Malt.

Aberlour single malt whisky

Whiskies are my passion. Speyside whiskies are a particular love and most of all I love the most internationally awarded single malt (not because of the many awards),  because Aberlour Single malt is simply superb.

I introduced Aberlour to a group of trendsetters in Cape Town. So impressed were these fine living gentlemen that they promptly ordered an entire cask from the Aberlour distillery. This is not a cheap exercise but the reward was more than enough. The casks total content was bottled into 250 x 750ml bottles and delivered to South Africa. The majority of the bottles were sold to collectors due to the unique personalized labels.

So passionate were these trendsetters and the followers of the trendsetters that Aberlour became a leading poured whisky in many of the high fashion outlets attended by these Aberlour fans.

Aberlour 10 year old is available in South Africa.